Every March, The residents of North Wales go in into hibernation as HAMMERFEST takes over the Valleys for a weekend of BEARDS, BOOZE and METAL.
A perfect location tucked beside the coast line of Wales, This festival is like no other metal event in Europe , As the masses flood the gates of Hammerfest for a weekend of metal and a stellar line up consisting of some of the most prolific live acts in the industry such as SOILWORK, FEED THE RHINO, ENTHRONED, thrash legends OVERKILL and KREATOR.
With a “ Book of the Dead “theme and over 1000 metal heads in attendance, the atmosphere is always electric and holds a friendly community like feel. Like any other festival the booze is flowing and there are plenty of outlets to keep your glass half full.
The years line up boasts a strong diversity of acts, Showcasing over 100 bands from Stoner Metal to Death and healthy doses of thrash.
THURSDAY saw the first day of the festival erupt into action with the second stage paving way for the likes of thrashers ANNIHILATED and DEATH VALLEY KNIGHTS, who set the head banging perpetuation for the weekend. Other acts such as SAVAGE MESSIAH tear up the “OFF YER ROCKA” stage and having played slots at festivals such as BLOODSTOCK, Savage messiah have the crowd under their control, slaying through melodic thrash with no mercy. The talk of the night however comes from Bee Gees metal tribute band, TRAGEDY… Yes, a Bee Gees metal tribute band !, Tragedy top the night off with covers of Bee Gees classics with Night Fever and dancing queen thrown into the mix. A perfect way to kickstart the fun and madness of the weekend ahead.
FRIDAY
Friday night opens all areas
and festival favorite’s ATTICA RAGE, signed to Off Yer Rocka, kick start the pulse of the day on the unplugged stage, positioned perfectly in the onsite pub, for an acoustic set that eases in the rock for the fragile, festival goers. With sets from Attica Rage and UK first timers PARAGON, the Main stage is well underway and black metal is on the cards. Belgian Black Metallers, ENTHRONED slaughter the stage with huge presence from vocalist Nornagest and aggressive black metal is played as it should. Loud, fast and relentless.
Over to the Second stage now and having graced the stage earlier in the day, THE BASTARD SONS greet the Hammerfest crowd for the second time who replace BLACK MOTH. Without further a do, The Bastard sons unleash hell having gathered a serious pace from touring the local UK circuit and a short tour of America, the delivery of their live set could not be more energetic. IDIOM follow with a more pop punk infused rock sound and although not completely the right scene for these guys, The youngsters don’t hold back from putting
on an excellent set, introducing the crowd to A new generation and sub genres of metal.
With heavy riffing, short snappy breakdowns and signature changes, SWORN AMONGST are a band that are making some serious headway in the metal game. Bringing powerful modern metal while devouring the roots of traditional speed and thrash metal, this band must be witnessed live to experience the full potential and energy.
HAMMERFEST 2014 is officially in unstoppable motion as heavyweights SOILWORK step up to the mark on the main stage to continue the onslaught. Soilwork are certainly no stranger to the metal scene, with over 15 years under their belt and a huge discography, front man Bjorn “speed” Strid dominates the stage with an almighty presence and has the crowd at his mercy.
The first headlining act of the weekend, OVERKILL, follow Soilwork’s demolition and after a staggering thirty four years Overkill are still slaying venues across the globe and are by no means slowing down. Infecting the crowds with classic old school thrash, Overkill lay waste to the masses of metal heads of all ages and dig out tracks such as ROTTEN TO THE CORE which sees the place go mental and divide into several circle pits. Overkill have still got it and there is no stopping this monstrous thrashing machine.
As Overkills set comes to a close and the main stage goes to sleep, FEED THE RHINO
begin to beat up the second stage and display why they are one of the fastest rising metal bands on the planet. The energy from this band is just incredible! From start to finish front man LEE COBIN engages with aggression, charging around the venue like the roadrunner on smack.
Incorporating a violent rhythm, laced with the energy of punk and the influence of hardcore, Feed The Rhino combine a cocktail of influences to create a unique rock and roll sound that will leave any viewer left in amazement !
After a slaying from Feed The Rhino, hippie 3 piece rockers, The Vintage Caravan caress the carnage with a bluesy, stoner rock set that sees apsychedelic ambiance take over the early hours of the night. THE VINTAGE CARAVAN take strong influence from a diverse mix of 60’s and 70’s rock, incorporating prog and blues into their songs. The guitar work is phenomenal and lengthy solos and jams give this band a unique edge that sees their set round of the night in style.
SATURDAY
Midday hits and DERISION are stepping up the pace early on the second stage. Bringing a brutal combination of punishing riffs and heavy rhythm. Visually, the band are slightly static however frontman Tony Smith has control with a dominant presence and Derision certainly do not fail to wake up Wales with sheer force.
Up next are BREED 77, who hit the main stage as they celebrate ten years of their most successful album “ CULTURA “. Frontman PAUL ISOLA returns to the band to play their last show of their short UK anniversary tour. “ We are here ten years down the line, before Facebook, before Instashit and it is because of you, and we appreciate every second of it” Ses front man, Paul. Proving the power of rock and metal music. Breed play a blinding set and despite a slight cold rubbing off on Paul’s voice, it is evident this man will be missed.
UK band DESERT STORM take to the second stage to change up the pace and lay down a southern fried mix of sounds with influences of CLUTCH creeping into there riffs and gritty rock n roll vocals as well as relentless chuggy grooves that make this band a great addition to the line up. With the release of their debut album “THOUGHTS OF A RISING SUN” and features in magazines such as KERRANG, TERRORIZER and ROCK SOUND, GraVil are starting to receive the attention they deserve. Bringing the heavy, with headbangers such as “Enemy Within” to the second stage of Hammerfest.
With the main stage in full perpetuation GLORYHAMMER take to the stage with a roaring crowd awaiting them. The Scottish 5 piece add battle metal to the bill taming the crowd with unbelievable crowd participation. Incorporating an element of fun aswell as some finely crafted battle metal.
After an incredible performance at HARD ROCK HELL , (Hammerfest’s less disturbed sister festival) , DRUGANAUT are welcomed back to Wales to throw down heavy riffing and monstrous vocals on the second stage, and throwdown they did, riffing with the sounds of PANTERA as vocalist Craig Relf drawfs the crowd with a mighty stature.
MONSTER TRUCK add a groove SOUTHERN ROCK sound to the main stage with songs such as “undercover love “ and “old train. ” Sweet mountain river gets the crowd singing and moving and a solid performance sets the standards and atmosphere for UNLEASHED and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY to take to the stage. Having gone through a number of line up changes
Corrosion of Conformity are now a power trio playing a mix of songs from their discography that float in and out of genres such as punk , sludge, hardcore and southern rock. Without the presence of previous member Pepper Keenan the band do not deliver as powerfully and lose out on having 2 guitar parts. Undeniably though, Corrosion Of Conformity lay down a firm performance and Bassist/singer Mike Dean commands the crowd flawlessly.
Thrash titans KREATOR bring their wrecking crew to the main Stage for the last headline act of the weekend. Howls of KRE-A-TOR beckon from the crowd as the room splits down the middle. “ I wanna see this place go f**king burzerk “ exclaims frontman Mille Petrozza as the intro to “PLEASURE TO KILL” forces an eruption of carnage from the Crowd. Reigning from GERMANY, Kreator have been inflicting pain over the world for over 30 years and with 13 studio albums they have a thourough grip within the metal industry. Relentless machine gun thrash songs such as Enemy of god, which have the crowd head banging in unison, are the reason this band are legends of thrash, serving their rightful position as headliners of Hammerfest.
Hammefest is the perfect retreat for an unmatchable festival experience. With a community atmosphere that unites festival goers like no other, a friendly vibe and a line up with more metal you could shake a stick at makes this one of the best weekends of the calendar year !
The accommodation is a choice of caravans or apartments by the beach, so forget your tents and BOOK YOUR TICKETS TO HAMMERFEST 7 NOW , FOR AN UNREAL LUXURY METAL EXPERIENCE
A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT MAKES THIS INCREDIBLE EVENT POSSIBLE ! THE FANS, THE BEAUTIFUL PR, THE SECURITY, EVENT MANAGEMENT AND ALL THE BANDS !
SEE YOU AT HAMMERFEST 7 !
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